Houston, September 22: With a cheerful and enthusiastic environment, the Sikh community welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi with revering, "Jo Bole So Nihaal Sat Sri Akal" in Houston today.
In his tweet, PM Modi wrote, “Here is now the Sikh community in Houston welcomed PM @narendramodi. The Prime Minister interacted with the members of the community, during which they congratulated PM Modi on some of the pathbreaking decisions taken by the Government of India.”
He also added that I had an excellent interaction with the Sikh Community in Houston. I am delighted to see their passion towards India’s development!
One of the pathbreaking decisions by Modi government is the Kartarpur Corridor, where Modi Govt. stood firmly against the Pakistani proposal to charge ‘service fee’ for Kartarpur pilgrims. Pakistan proposed a $20 (Rs 1,400) ‘service fee’ forms to use the corridor and also showed inflexibility on the presence of Indian diplomats to facilitate the visit of Indian pilgrims. And finally, Pakistan allowed visa-free movement for Sikh pilgrims visiting Kartarpur Corridor.
Also, the good news for thousands of Sikh pilgrims comes ahead of Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti on November 12. The corridor will be used to allow religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles) from the Pakistan-India border, without a visa.